Fluctuating high and low voltages which are common with outages can damage the internal components inside an ice maker especially electronics causing it to not work.
A lost phase is also a reason why it isn’t working particularly if your property is on three phase power. This post will discuss two reasons why the ice maker isn’t working, what to do about it and whether it’s worth fixing from the point of view of an electrician.
Ice Maker Fault Finding
The parts of an ice maker susceptible to damage after a power outage are the internal electronics and the motor which helps with the cooling and ice generation.
The ice maker works at a standard voltage. This is the voltage found at any wall socket it is plugged into. This standard voltage is typically 120 volts (USA) or 240 volts (UK/NZ/AUS).
The wall socket is powered by a cable originating at the switchboard. The switchboard itself receives incoming power from the electricity network. This incoming power is normally very constant but when a fault on the network occurs the voltage can fluctuate beyond what an appliance can handle.
Legally, the circuit with the wall socket and ice maker must be connected to a fuse or MCB. These protect the circuit from overloading and short circuits that could occur.
The circuit may also be protected by RCD.
An RCD is designed to protect anyone from getting a fatal shock. This could happen if there was a fault with the ice maker. Just note that RCD’s may not be present in older homes which were wired before RCDs were invented.
With this in mind, it’s worth noting that none of these breakers in the switchboard will protect the ice maker from damage caused after power outages.
With this basic knowledge about how the ice maker is wired and connected to the electrical system, let’s see why it isn’t working.
Ice Maker Not Working After A Power Outage – Reason #1
Damage From Temporary High Or Low Voltage
Likelihood: High – can occur alongside power outages. Contact the company which manages the power lines for more information about the fault.
Fixable? Probably not, if high voltages have damaged the internal electronics and cooling motor it probably won’t be worth fixing. Replacement will be the most economical option.
An ice machine is designed to work at a steady voltage. When this voltage changes, even momentarily, it can wreak havoc with certain components inside.
Electronics inside the ice maker are particularly susceptible. Electronics circuit boards tend to contain a range of capacitors, resistors, inductors and other semiconductors.
All of these will fail if the voltages are high enough. The electronic component we most see being damaged by high voltage are capacitors.
Capacitors are designed to operate at a narrow voltage range and when this is exceeded they short out. As they carry a lot of energy they tend to go bang when they do. They also tend to leave burnt carbon marks on the electronic circuit board indicating where the short was.
This won’t be visible until you look at the circuit board inside the ice maker. An indicator that an electronic component has failed is a burnt plastic or metallic smell which also occurs with other electrical appliances.
The motor for cooling inside the ice maker is also susceptible to damage from high voltage, especially if it normally operates on an extra low voltage like 24 volts.
If a voltage surge has gotten inside the ice maker damaging the electronics and motor then it is most likely more economical to replace.
Ice Maker Not Working After A Power Outage – Reason #2
One Electrical Phase Is Still Offline
Likelihood: High – if your property has three phase power. Contact the power lines company for more information about the fault.
Fixable? Yes, just wait for the power on that phase to come back on.
A lost electrical phase is a common occurrence with power outages. If the property has three phase power it means that it has three separate incoming electrical feeds.
Usually different parts of the property are fed by different feeds. If one feed is still out (due to a fault with the power network) then the ice maker won’t work until the power comes back on.
You can try and plug the ice maker into a different outlet located somewhere else to confirm that this is actually the problem.
Get Surge Protection
A surge protector is a device that redirects harmful voltage surges away from appliances and discharges it safely to earth.
Today most appliances in the home contain some degree of electronics including TVs, washing machines, microwaves, wifi – all of which are susceptible to damage during outages.
A surge protector in the switchboard will ensure that they are not exposed to damaging voltages. Surge protectors can also be found on devices such as multi boards. These multiboards will only protect whatever is plugged into it.
Electricians Perspective
Temporary fluctuating voltage is the most likely reason why the ice maker isn’t working after an outage in our experience. This is because the internal electronics experience damage when normal voltages are exceeded.
We Fix Faults is an electrician blog dedicated to finding and resolving electrical faults. If you have any topics you’d like us to cover send us a message above.